Aunt Donna and I had the opportunity to tour HOP when dropping off the donations from the family. Originally Aunt Donna and I thought we were simply dropping off our donated items. However, Aunt Donna had to go back another time later in the week to drop them off because instead of a quick drop off we got a full tour, many hugs and nonstop gratitude. Julia, a volunteer at HOP, who Grace has been working most closely with, introduced us to the two employees of HOP and all the volunteers who were at the house. All of them greeted us with hugs and could not stop thanking our family and the foundation for the support. After meeting everyone, we were able to take a tour of the house. The house is beautiful and so homey-It was once a rectory and was restored two years ago for this purpose. It has a living room, kitchen, playroom, guest and handicapped bathroom on the first floor. The second and third floor are composed of bedrooms and bathrooms for the families. The bedrooms are all painted calming light blue colors and are decorated with relaxing pictures donated to the home. The rooms all have the same hand-made bed, built and donated by an Eagle Scout. All of the beds are trundles (they have an additional mattress stored underneath the bed that slides out) so that the children can sleep closely to their mothers. The beds each have decorative quilts-also handmade. On the third floor there is relaxation room for the mothers to use for guided reflection and therapy. The trip was truly a blessing as Aunt Donna and I could both see how all of the hard work for the foundation is going to a well-deserving cause.
–Emily
